November 5, 2010

IZOD Indy Car Television Deal: Still Ahead of its Time

Indy Car remains very well positioned for future growth with a media strategy that encompasses much more than traditional television. There are a lot of blithering, Indy Car-hating idiots who tend to laugh at Indy Car’s long term Versus deal, but frankly it is years ahead of its time.

Most idiots decry the current deal primarily because they refuse to budge from 1995, when things were different. They believe broadcast television is the answer. They are woefully out of touch. Television viewing has become highly fragmented over the past few years, and to complicate matters further, new technology has enabled several new content delivery options.

Cable companies are now losing TV subscribers rapidly, and satellite TV is not growing either. A lot of consumers use the Internet to retrieve content. That bypasses not just cable companies, but cable networks that produce content. Many experts predict the same sort of phenomenon that shook up the recorded music business.

The reason Indy Car is so well positioned today with Versus is because Comcast, the biggest cable operator in the United States, is about to assume control of NBC Universal. They are already a leader in alternative content distribution with not only several niche channels, but are aligned with new technologies such as Hulu.

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The day that I have to watch an Indy Car race or any other sporting event on a computer screen is the day that I find another way to waste my spare time. Unless and until viewers can watch Indy Car races on ‘free TV’, you can forget about Randy or anybody else growing this sport…Versus is a joke cable channel and the thought of long time or even new fans catching onto the series via the Internet is a fantasy…there is a reason why all the stick and ball sports still draw their best income from broadcast TV and that’s called the widest possible audience…I hope that the feds finalize Com Cast’s takeover of NBC and that NBC has the guts to take some Indy Car programming from Versus and televises at least the Long Beach race on free TV in the coming season.

Whether or not fans believe broadcast television is the answer is irrelevant; its the sponsors that do care. And like it or not, they do look at the ratings/viewers, whether it be OTA, satellite, or cable. ‘Alternative content’ is fine; but in mentioning Hulu and other rebroadcast outlets, you seem to overlook the fact that ALL networks are tied in with Hulu, not just NBC. Also overlooked is ESPN3; a service not tied to one sole ISP, and light years ahead of where Versus is in terms of streaming events live on the internet. If Versus is way ahead of its time, what’s ESPN? Way Way ahead of its time?

And until IICS pulls a rating above abysmal, the sponsors won’t take notice. Most Media buyers want a rating above 1.0 before they’ll even think about buying time; Versus isn’t even close. 366,000 average viewers for the 12 races on Versus; less than 320,000 per race for the last 7. Spin all you want, say that the numbers are rigged to favor OTA broadcasts, it doesn’t matter. To move forward, to gain TV sponsors, and likely team sponsors, IICS needs more television viewers. And since the ratings on broadcast are roughly double (or higher) than those on cable, getting the races on OTA seems a better means to that end.

But then again, what do we know? Neil and I are likely just cart-centric, tinfoil hat wearing idiots. Right?

Editor’s Note: Nope. But your analysis of the current television landscape is dated and flawed and does not reflect current actual reality. It’s not as simple as being stuck in a prior decade. I am actually in the business, and some of the most comedic moments I read are Indy Car haters pontificating about television ratings as if they know what the hell they are talking about.

Let us review.. The inept irl signs a ten year deal with a nework that nobody has ever heard of. The result is ratings lower than the average info-mercial. An absolute stroke of genius by the powers that be. Must be hard to defend this crap, thou I give you an A for the effort. Most recognise the irl for what it is… the sh!t stain on the underpants of racing.

Editor’s Note: Thanks for another enlightening comment from our small friend north of the border.

Wow, I guess you never give up at spin control. Face it, the versus deal is not very good. The IRL took what they could get. You like to claim they turned down NBC and others in favor of versus, but we all know most of your claims are untrue.

Editor’s Note: Frankly, I have never placed much stock in anything the handful of doomsaying cart idiots type. It is pretty pointless.

Bwahahahaha….Kornya and Rubin send Defender into scud missile shellshock with a couple of solid fact based arguments while providing definitive data as to the actual state of futility in the irl, or whatever the moniker is these days. The Defender of the Indefensible then retreats into his adult equivalent of a Danica-esque, foot stomping, clenched fist pumping, juvenile tantrum and retorts that “he is in the business”.

Installation of splitters,connectors and coaxial cable does not count as being in the business. And just for the record, you forgot your regular CART failed….two times retort. You are slipping. You have passed insignificant on the WGAF meter. Please continue your freefall to the total obscurity level….where you may rest in bitter eternity with your series of choice and the handful of remaing tenderloin chewing, lockstepping, brownshirts that are holding out for vision 1.1 to see the light of day, and for tOneY the turd from Terre Haute to crawl back out of the rock from which he has been cast, to split the current Izod tshirt series into another faction…..just like a feuding Appalachian Pentecostal serpent handling preacher and his handful of myopic worshipers, who have been twice bitten and poisoned into foaming at the mouth mumbling narcissists who carry the mark of the beast, tOneY gOrgE.

Editor’s Note: I remain happy and gratified that both intelligent people and blithering idiots feel compelled to contribute to this blog, It is equal opportunity.